How Agritourism Drives Loudoun ’ s Rural Economy
By Douglas Rogers I Visit loudoun
Drive west from Washington , DC toward Loudoun County , Virginia , and for 30 miles you ’ re in a tangle of urban sprawl . What was rural farmland only a generation ago is now townhouse developments , strip malls , toll roads and — as you nudge into Loudoun at Sterling and Ashburn — sleek , hi-tech data centers owned by Amazon and the like , through which 70 percent of the world ’ s Internet traffic now flows .
A few miles further west though , just past Leesburg , a strange thing happens . As if crossing a border , the sprawl suddenly clears and you ’ re in glorious countryside : stone-fenced farm fields dotted with cows , horses and red barns ; green hills carpeted with grape vines , forests of maple , oak and birch all around ; Blue Ridge Mountains shimmering in the distance .
The Boxwood Estate Winery is located in Middleburg , Virginia , and boasts 26.5 acres of sustainable vineyards planted with traditional
Bordeaux varietals . Above : Pick your own strawberries at Great Country Farms .
wander I fall Top : Photo • winter courtesy 2020 Great 19 Country Farms this Photo : Aboud Dweck / Visit Loudoun